Inside Gulabi, Glasgow's independent film lab

From sourcing and fixing up rare machines to pondering the survival of film, the pair behind Gulabi Film Lab discuss all things analogue.

Photographs by Colin Mearns.

Pictured from left are staff members Marilena Vlachopoulou, Audrey Bizouerne and co-owners Chris Moses ad Ben Cowie

At the foot of a row of tenements in the Southside is Glasgow’s independent film lab. The name Gulabi, a romanisation of the Hindi-Urdu word for pink, was chosen by owners Ben Cowie and Chris Moses for the delicious way it sounds rolling off the tongue. Since 2019, the pair have been processing and scanning film from analogue photographers across the city, becoming an institution in its rich photography scene.

Hidden in plain sight, the former antiques shop on Torrisdale Street is buzzing as Chris, Ben and their two assistants Marilena Vlachopoulou and Audrey Bizouerne process dozens of film rolls at pace. Their service list is tight to keep up speed and quality, eschewing any printing to focus on processing and scanning colour, C41 and black and white film. The current turnaround is up to two days for colour and around a week for black and white. The lab also has four drop-off points around the city and one in Edinburgh. Every Tuesday their bike courier collects the rolls and brings them back to the studio to be processed.